Our time together had a lot of wonderful moments, but it was thoroughly exhausting. I've heard people say they need a vacation from their vacation, and now I really understand what they mean. However after going to the beach and camping, I don't want to even think about packing or unpacking another bag for a looooong time...
Some of the week's highlights:
1) Playing at the Beach (of course!) - We really lucked out weatherwise, so we were able to spend lots of time in the sand and surf. We didn't even hear too many complaints from the kids about the copious amounts of sunscreen required. Abby really got into boogie boarding and playing "over-under" in the waves. Ben and Caroline stayed closer to shore playing in the surf break.
Foggy Morning Walk
Shelling
2. Amazingly Delicious Steamed Crabs - I have successfully taught Abby how to eat steamed crabs. While she doesn't have the speed and accuracy of a practiced picker, I hereby declare her an honorary Marylander.
3. Assateague Island - On Thursday, we drove down to Assateague Island National Seashore run by the National Park Service to see if we could spot some wild horses and do a little hiking since the temperatures dropped down to a very pleasant 76 degrees. We hiked on three short half mile trails, each highlighting a different habitat (marshes, forest, and dunes). The mosquitoes notwithstanding, these trails were perfect for kids -- short, full of wildlife, and interesting. We saw some beautiful wild horses up close:
And then a wee bit too close:
View of Salt Marsh from the Trail
4. Trimper's Rides - A family tradition from my childhood, we spent an afternoon at the Trimper's Rides on the Boardwalk. The kids had a blast, and I couldn't help but marvel how most of the rides haven't changed since I was a kid. Although I don't have a photo, the original hand-carved carousel from 1905 is a stunner.
On 'The Whip'
5. Lifeguards - Holy cow. On Friday, the wind kicked up to a sustained 20 mph or so (if I were more nautically inclined I'd tell the speed to you in knots). The water conditions dramatically changed from 'fun waves' to "No, Abby, let's just watch". I've been to the ocean for probably 30 years, and I can think of maybe one rescue I've ever seen. The water conditions were so rough (and the swimmers so overconfident) that I watched the guards perform 6 (S-I-X!!) rescues in the span of 3 hours. At one point, three guards went out together to help a group of teenage girls that had gotten caught in a rip current. A serious Baywatch moment. Only it wasn't on TV. Wow.
AND -- all these rescues followed an even more dramatic set of events that occurred on Tuesday. A mother on our stretch of beach lost her 3-year old child. Word spread quickly among all the people standing on the beach, and soon there were hundreds and hundreds of strangers patrolling the beach and the block of houses behind the beach for this woman's precious daughter. The lifeguards signalled up and down the beach, the police came, and hours passed. Hours. I can't even imagine what the poor mother was going through. The girl's extended family was at the beach too, and she just disappeared while they were all standing there. And finally, the girl was found! Thank God!! We stayed at 138th Street, and Eleanor turned up all the way down on 88th Street. Strangers were crying and the relief was palpable. The sheer number of strangers that just dropped everything to help look for this little girl was amazing. And so scary. We kept an even closer eye on our kids for the remainder of the week.
6. More? So much more happened -- biking and kite flying and revisiting some family favorites (Dumser's for milkshakes) -- but I really need to go fold some laundry....and you're probably tired of reading...Overall, though, the best part was getting to spend a whole week of time together as a family.
we went to Assateague Island last year - even saw a mama and baby! - and all i remember is mosquitos. they were killer!
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